Master of Darkness
by Chatterchot
Summary: When Luke had let the bullies cajole him into a stupid game involving pages at an old abandoned fair grounds, he hadn't believed their ghost stories. But in this place, on this night, Luke might find more than the darkness waiting for him. Warnings; lots of fluff; sub/dom relationship; male/male.
1. In the Dark

**Disclaimer: I do not own Slenderman.**

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**In the Dark**

The gate clanged shut behind Luke with all the finality of a pouncing lion, and the last bully locked him in for the night. Luke did not want to be here. He had taken the challenge to stay a few hours that night at the old abandoned carnival in an effort to ease the taunts and teasings he got for his cowardice. Luke was a coward, though, and it showed; hesitant, twitchy, and fluttering, he switched on his tiny penlight to help illuminate the scene.

The disused fair grounds looked every bit as haunted as the old legend claimed; peeling paint, hanging signs, and rickety wooden struts filled up the dead, grassless turf. The bullies had hidden pieces of notebook paper around the grounds. Put together, they would give the combination to the lock at the gate and allow him to escape. He was also to record his night as further proof that he didn't cheat. Camera clutched in one hand, flashlight in the other, Luke began his search.

He found the first piece quickly; taped to an old rusty flag pole in plain view. '1st; Left 16'. As Luke stuffed the paper in his pocket, he suddenly felt like he wasn't alone. Panning the camera around the grounds, Luke could find nothing to justify his jitteriness except for the dying light.

"Hel… Hello?" The bushes on the other side of the fence rustled, and Luke swung around just as a bird flew out. Luke chuckled with false bravado for the camera. "Just a bird!" He hated how squeaky he sounded.

The second piece was under a teetering slide in a sand pit area for little kids. '3rd; Left 19'. As Luke bent down to retrieve it, he felt… something… stroke down his backside. He yelped and jumped up, nearly hitting his head on the underside of the slide. "Who's there!?" The camera caught nothing but a faint burst of static as Luke spun around. After a moment of breath catching, Luke was able to shrug the sensation off. "Must be the wind…"

Luke caught movement out of the corner of his flashlight after he had found the third note on the inside of a concession stand. '2nd; Right 21'. "Hey!" Luke was torn between curiosity and caution, and eventually waved off the movement as some trick of his tired eyes.

His flashlight was the only source of illumination as he spotted the fourth piece at the back of a games booth. '4th; Right 19'. He had to bend over the counter to reach it, and his exposed behind was once more subjected to a grope. Not daring to breath, Luke forced himself to hold still while he slowly pointed the camera to look back.

He slid off the booth and sat beneath the overhanging wood trim to watch the footage. The camera panned around just in time to see a waving black… cloth? retreat off frame, accompanied by static. Luke gulped. He had heard of the legend, but hadn't really thought much of it until now. The idea that some acrobat had committed suicide after the carnival had been sued and come back as a ghost to haunt it had sounded utterly ridiculous to Luke when the bullies had told him, but now…

Gathering his courage, Luke got up from his semi sheltered position and searched for the final number for the pad lock. His heart beat quickened, where was it? He picked up his pace. Could it be that there were only four numbers? No, the bullies had turned the lock _five_ times before it had clicked. Maybe the bullies had hidden it on the inside of a stand. That would be cruel, but not that unusual. He hopped over counters to check. Maybe they had pinned it to a tree, far from the front of the grounds. He raced to the wooded rear of the fenced-in area and swung his flashlight back and forth, the bright white of the paper the only thing worth seeing anymore.

A little voice spoke up from the back of his mind. Maybe there was no fifth paper. Maybe the bullies had planned to keep him locked in the creepy carnival with the perverted ghost all night. Terrified, exhausted, and defeated, Luke made his way back to the front gate and curled up into a fetal position. He rocked himself on his haunches, sobbing silently. He didn't care if he was twenty years old. He didn't care if he lived on his own. He didn't care if he was supposed to be a man. Luke just wanted to go home.

A snapping twig yanked Luke's head from his knees. He blinked away his tears and gasped as a figure came into focus. Clad in a black suit with a black tie, the figure stepped closer. Luke shined his flashlight on its head. The figure had pure white skin… and no face. Luke's mouth stretched open in a soundless scream as the faceless specter drew nearer. It pointed at him, a piece of paper in its grasp.

"I- i- i-" Luke gulped and tried again, "is th- that for me?" The figure held up a single finger.

"_You must do something for me first…_" it rattled out, white face deforming with the words.

Luke whimpered, "what do you want?"

The figure pulled down its black pants, an erection springing out.

"_You know what I want._"

"No…" Luke sobbed. He had thought that the bullies had been fooling around when they had told him that the ghost was fond of little blond boys on its crotch. And again, Luke had been wrong. He squeezed his knees tighter to his chest as the figure bent down and picked up the camera.

"_Open your mouth and kneel._" The figure turned the camera on him.

Seeing no other option, Luke did as he was bid. He closed his eyes and prayed it would be over soon. Luke's eyes shot open as a piercing scream rent the night. He couldn't quite make sense of the scene before him. A wall of pitch black shadow rose from the ground and pinned the figure to the gate. A tendril of darkness ripped the white mask off the bully and yanked him to the ground, pushing his still bare behind into the air.

The bully yelped as the tendril whacked him _hard _across the ass several times. Once the darkness had its fill, it picked the bully up and tossed him over the gate. The bully landed on his rear with a thud and floundered to his feet, holding his pants up and scampering as best he could for the road. Luke turned back to the wall of black and resumed his earlier position; hugging his knees close and tucking his head down, whimpering. Nothing happened.

A faint sound of rustling fabric tempted Luke to peek. The wall of shadow withdrew to a single point in space. That point resolved itself into a figure almost identical to the last; white, faceless, and suited. Yet, this figure was different. It was much slimmer than the bully had been; the shoulders were much closer together and the suit fit perfectly, not bunching or stretching anywhere. It also, in some indescribable way, seemed _utterly_ inhuman.

The creature cocked its head at Luke and reached a hand forward. Luke flinched back and the creature stopped, tilting its head the other way. They stared at each other for a moment, and then the creature moved to sit at the fence about four feet away from Luke. It watched him and mimicked his posture, sitting in a fetal position while inclining its head.

Luke took a deep breath, "you're not going to hurt me?" The creature shook its head. "You can understand me?" The creature nodded. "Can't you speak?" Another head shake. Luke knew he would regret asking this, but he had to know. "What do you want from me?" The creature reached a hand out to him again, and Luke forced himself to stay still. After all, if this creature wanted to hurt him, it had demonstrated with the bully just how easily it could do so. It wouldn't need to trick him. Right?

Luke eyed the gleaming white hand warily as it drew closer, then gasped and jerked away as it stretched to bridge the gap between them, morphing into a black tentacle in the process. The creature paused its advance but didn't retreat. Luke gritted his teeth and sat back up, closing his eyes and bracing himself. After a few seconds of nothing, Luke peeked at the creature. It was tilting its head at him, tendril unmoving.

Luke suddenly got the feeling that he was being very silly. This creature- the same one that had tossed a three hundred pound thug over a ten foot gate -was treating him like he was made of glass. Huffing lightly, Luke forced himself to relax. He turned back to the creature and reached a tentative hand out to meet the tentacle. They made contact and the tendril loosely wound halfway up his forearm.

Luke smiled, "you're not so bad, are you?" This was apparently the wrong thing to say. The tentacle tightened its grasp and yanked Luke towards the creature. He yelped and tried to pull back, but it held firm, dumping him into the creature's lap. Luke struggled as the creature surrounded him with darkness and… nuzzled him? He paused his frantic movements at the soft touch. Yes, the creature was now nuzzling him, caressing the side of his head with its own.

"Umm, I don't understand." Luke blushed as the creature continued its affections, wrapping its arms around his middle and cuddling him. Just when he thought the situation couldn't get any stranger, the creature began to _purr_. Like a cat. Luke sighed, deciding to give in to the bizarre moment. At least he wasn't terrified anymore.

The creature continued to lavish affection on him like some humanoid house cat, and Luke simply let it. He was far too comfortable to hinder the caressing tendrils wandering lower and lower. The creature snuck a hand down his pants to stroke his growing erection.

"Ah…" Luke wasn't sure if he should be enjoying this so much, but it had been a very long night, and he was tired. Tired of running, tired of being scared, tired of everything. He leaned back into the creature and relaxed fully, letting it fondle him while he rested.

Suddenly, the creature shifted him sideways and stood, carrying him bridal style away from the gate.

"No… Wait… I need to get home…" The creature looked down at him and stroked his cheek with a dark tendril. "Are you gonna let me go soon?" It nodded. Luke sighed, melting back into its hold. "Oh… Okay." He didn't know exactly what the creature had planned for him, but from the tendril wrapped around his manhood, Luke could guess. He buried his face in the creature's suit and received a light squeeze in reward.

Luke opened his eyes as the creature set him down on a mattress. He was surrounded on all sides by ribbed metal, and the air held a faint scent of rust. The scene was illuminated only by his own flashlight that the creature had apparently taken with them. Luke wondered if his camera was also near.

"Where are we?" Luke asked, sitting up and looking around, "I didn't see any shipping containers at the fair grounds." The creature insisted on retaining his attention, straddling his hips and pushing him gently back into the mattress with a splayed hand. It followed him down, hovering over him like a phantom. Luke had no idea how he could tell, but the creature seemed to be watching him intently.

"What are you gonna… Nrgg…" Luke trailed off as the tendrils came back, squeezing and pulling at his member. He rocked into the ministrations, rolling his hips up under the creature. It cocked its head and mimicked him, pushing against his crotch. Curious, Luke rolled his hips back, and again, the creature followed him. This time though, the tendrils squeezed and pulled with it, causing Luke to toss his head back and whimper, thrusting forward again.

The creature leaned down further, copying him again, and purred. Luke caught bits of shadow floating at the edge of his vision as they continued their strange dance. He turned his head to look and was surprised when the wisps didn't vanish.

"What is-" Luke cut himself off with a moan as the tendrils gave him a hard tug. The creature reached a hand over and turned him back to face it. It seemed to chastise him, quirking its head just so. Luke guessed it didn't want him looking away.

"Okay," Luke meeped. The creature's purring grew, and it began petting his hair. As the thrusting increased in tempo, Luke briefly wondered if the creature was pleasing itself somehow. He didn't feel any bumps in its suit whenever they came together, and it seemed utterly focused on him otherwise.

All thoughts were wiped from him as the darkness closed in. Tendrils swarmed over him, probing under his clothes, caressing his rear, stroking his sides, tickling his feet, nuzzling his cheeks… Luke whimpered, completely lost to the sensations as the creature stared down at him, cocking its head.

A particularly large tendril swirled around his cheeks, making a figure eight over his mouth. Luke nabbed it with his lips. Everything stopped. Luke cracked an eye open, suddenly afraid that he had done something terribly, terribly wrong.

If Luke could describe the non expression that the creature was wearing at that moment, he'd say it looked shocked. He followed the long black tentacle with his eyes… It lead directly to the creature's crotch. Well, apparently _that_ stretched too.

Needing to break the awkward pause with something, Luke gave the creature a _very_ tentative suckle. It shivered on top of him, and motion returned to the surrounding darkness. The tentacle pushed further into his mouth and captured his tongue, wrapping around it and tugging playfully.

The creature leaned closer to him and cupped his face, stroking his cheek with its thumb. Recognizing the encouragement, Luke led the tentacle to the side of his mouth and kneaded it with his teeth. The creature arched forward, digging its groin into his, while the darkness squeezed him from all sides, forcing him to mirror the thrust.

Luke could take no more. Every part of him sang with pleasure as he unloaded, all the tension that had built that night finally flowing free as the gloom swelled around him, pulsing with his throes.

He panted as the world slowly expanded once more to include the creature. It petted him as his expanding view halted, then reversed. The creature cocked its head, and Luke felt compelled to say one last thing before a different kind of darkness took him.

"I'm Luke, by the way…"

Luke stumbled into his apartment later that same night. He had woken up at the gate to find it unlocked, his camera and flashlight next to him. He had shrugged off his strange encounter with the creature as a queer dream and made his way home after that. He had not let a shadowy tentacle monster ravish him, and Luke would look at the footage tomorrow to prove that.

Luke shivered, dropping his cargo on the tiny counter top that constituted his kitchen. It had _felt_ real enough. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could still feel the darkness thrumming around him… Luke sighed, glancing at the glowing numbers on his trusty microwave. How was it only ten o'clock? He pulled off his hoodie and draped it over the back of his chair before heading to the shower.

The walk home had been tense; there was a rough neighborhood between his apartment and the fair grounds, and being there after dark was a really good way for him- young, fair, and slight as he was -to get mugged. Or worse. He had considered staying at the grounds until morning, but he'd had a strange feeling about impinging on the creature. Not that there had been a creature. He had just felt weird about staying over night at the creepy carnival. That definitely wasn't haunted. Especially not by a fantastic sex beast bent on making him-

Luke paused in his disrobing. There was a rather conspicuous yellowish stain in his underwear. He must have grabbed a dirty pair from the basket instead of his drawers that morning. Yeah, that's what had happened. Definitely. Luke dropped his discarded clothing into said basket and resolved to keep better track of his laundry.

The warm water sluicing over him, Luke wondered at the other big discrepancy of the night. He had been sure that the bullies had locked the gate behind him, but then, he'd never tested it… Maybe the lock was just broken. That had to be it. Good thing, too, 'cause he'd never… even found… the last…

Luke toweled himself off and made a beeline for his camera, snatching up his hoodie on the way. A chill ran down his spine as he reviewed the footage of his wild night. The video started right before the bullies unlocked the gate to let him in, and continued in mundanity until he picked up the second paper.

Luke watched with growing anticipation and anxiety as the camera justified his memories, revealing the static, the shadows, the bully, and finally the creature. It picked him up and carried him for a few paces before the camera lifted off the ground and followed them. A burst of static interrupted the feed.

Luke felt the floor drop out from under him as the static cleared. The camera panned along their conjoined bodies, finishing its cinematic sweep with a close up of Luke's face. He looked… enraptured. Warmth rushed to his cheeks as the footage sauntered on, camera not leaving his face even once. He watched himself gasp and moan as each thrust brought mounting bursts of static until the scene faded out altogether as he came. Breathing hard, Luke looked away. That had really happened. …And the creature had recorded it… Why?

The static cleared once more, and Luke found the creature setting his sleeping form down by the gate. It gently unzipped his pocket and took out the papers. A tendril zoomed in from off screen bearing the fifth note the bully had dropped, and a marker. The creature scrawled something on the back of the paper while a tendril spun the lock open. The camera moved in as the creature crouched down and petted his hair, stuffing all five papers back into his pocket. Then the creature reached off screen and the video ended.

Luke turned off the camera, blinking. His hand unconsciously went to his hair where the creature had touched him. Snapping from his daze, Luke dropped the camera on the counter and retrieved the papers from his hoodie. They all looked just as he remembered them. Except for the last one. On its front was the final number, '5th; Left 25'. On its back, in scratchy handwriting and black marker, was scrawled a message.

_'You're mine now, Luke. And I protect what is mine.'_

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**End Chapter One.**

**I'm writing a novel at this present time, so updates may be a bit... odd. I still intend to finish this story, though, and feedback- encouragement and/or criticism -is helpful.**


	2. Day One: Pet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Slenderman.**

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**Day One: Pet**

Luke blinked awake to the dulcet shrieking of his alarm clock, and reached over to paw at it until it quieted. He wished he could afford to fix it; it went off every morning at eight no matter what he did, and today was no exception.

Sunlight streamed in through the cheap, ten-dollar blinds he had put over the single window in his tiny bedroom, scattering on the horrifically standard beige carpeting that every apartment in existence seemed to have. His bed was up against the wall between the window and hallway door, giving him a rather ominous view of the double door closet on the opposite side of the room.

Despite having lived here for two years, the only furniture other than the bed was a nightstand bearing a broken alarm clock, a multiheaded lamp with randomly colored plastic shades, and a warm oak dresser that clashed defiantly with the bland off-white drywall.

Today was Saturday… right? Yeah, 'cause yesterday was Friday, the day that the bullies had picked out to… Oh dammit. Luke sighed, he'd had another one of those 'entire day' kind of dreams. He hated when that happened. It threw his entire schedule off. It had been a nice dream, too; there had been this creature… and it had pinned him down… Oh well, maybe if Luke went back to sleep, he'd wake up in its clutches again.

He glanced back at the clock to see how long he could get away with sleeping in for. The glowing numbers cheerfully informed him that he had another half hour or so before he risked running late. They also informed him that it was Saturday. Luke frowned.

Something petted his hair, waking him much more effectively than his defunct alarm. Luke jerked back to look, and felt his shoulder hit something warm and yielding. It was the creature. It hadn't been a dream. He had actually been pinned down and ravished last night by a shadowy tentacle monster.

This one.

Looming over him.

And purring.

Like a cat.

It took the alarm going off again to break Luke from his trance. He yelped, scrambling away from the way-too-close creature to the far edge of the mattress. The alarm cut off, and Luke glanced to it to find a dark tendril snaking away from the snooze button to rejoin the shadows under his bed.

Luke gulped and turned back to the creature, "you're real." It nodded slowly. "That wasn't a dream." It shook its head, then reached for him. Luke flinched back, nearly loosing his balance and falling off the bed before a black tendril shot from the shadows to steady him. The creature crossed its arms and huffed a purr at him.

"Umm, sorry…?" Luke blinked. Why was _he_ apologizing? He puffed out his chest and tried to sound forceful, "what are you doing here?" The creature seemed taken aback, and a tendril zoomed into the room bearing a piece of paper. It was the fifth note from last night, the one with the creature's cryptic proclamation on the back. The creature snatched it from the tendril and held it up for Luke to read.

He reread the message and blushed anew. "Yeah, I saw that last night. What does it _mean_?" It tapped at the words on the paper. You. Are. Mine. Luke frowned, "I don't understand." He wasn't sure he wanted to. The creature seemed to sigh, hanging its head and slumping its shoulders. Before Luke could respond, though, the creature vanished, leaving the note to flutter down onto the bed. It didn't reappear.

The alarm went off for a third time, making Luke jump. He turned the insistent device off finally, and settled on just going about his day normally. It was Saturday, after all; grocery day. He couldn't avoid his weekly restock of food just because a creature that looked more at home in his creepy closet had decided to haunt his bed instead.

After getting dressed, Luke turned left out his door to exchange the mundane carpet for the mundane tile of his bathroom. He rescinded the trade after a moment of teeth brushing and made his way to his living room/entry way/dining room that bordered his true target; the kitchen.

A high counter separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, still holding the evidence of his Friday night exploits on its barren plateau. The cooking area came stocked with the standard fridge, freezer, stove, microwave, sink and cabinet combo, all jammed into the smallest space possible while somehow remaining workable.

Luke sighed, going through the motions of making breakfast while wondering at the creature. It had seemed exasperated with him when it left, and he couldn't help but ponder the meaning of those words… 'You are mine'. Luke shivered. Did the creature intend to kidnap him? If so, why give him the heads up? Luke shook his head, turning off the stove and plating his meal before exiting the kitchen.

As with his bedroom, the main living space of the apartment was depressingly bare. A lonely faux wood desk sat next to another cheaply covered window, his laptop and need for a flat surface to eat upon its only reason for being. Luke scooted the swiveling desk chair out and sat, setting his plate of scrambled eggs down and opening up his laptop.

He was halfway through his breakfast and a video about dog training when he heard a tapping from behind.

Luke spun around to find that the creature had reappeared in the middle of the room. It held a black marker in one hand and a dry eraser in the other, and stepped aside to reveal an easel with a portable whiteboard bearing a message in smooth cursive.

_Hello Luke. Was there something you wanted to know?_

"Umm, hi." Luke blinked, "yeah… why are you here?" Two tendrils plucked the marker and eraser from the creature's hands, clearing the board and writing a new message while it crossed its arms and stared at him. It was rather disconcerting.

_You are mine, Luke, and this is where you are. Thus, I am here._

Luke blushed at the phrasing. "Why do you keep saying that?" The creature cocked its head. "The first part." It circled the 'you are mine' and cocked its head again. "Yeah, that. What do you mean by that?" It paused before clearing off the message, then stared at the empty board for a moment.

_You are my- _

It wrote several words and erased them in succession; _possession_;_ human_; _pet_. It paused on the last one, then replaced the 'my pet' with 'mine'.

Face glowing, Luke sputtered, "and what if I don't want to be yours?" The creature's head slowly fell to stare at the ground.

_I'd be disappointed. From your reactions last night, I assumed you'd be open to such a relationship with me._

Luke blinked. Had he given the creature that impression? "Umm, I was kinda tired. And scared." He looked away. "It all seemed too fantastic to be real, and it happened so fast…" The utter bizarreness of the situation caught up to him, and he looked back at the creature. "What the heck _are_ you, anyway?" It cocked its head again, and a new message replaced the old.

_Let me spend three days with you, Luke. Then, if you want me to, I'll leave and never bother you again. Is this fair?_

That didn't answer his question, but… Luke considered. The creature didn't really scare him… not after last night. In fact, Luke was rather curious about it now. He was a bit leery of the way the creature kept calling him 'mine', but it was only three days… He could at least give it a chance.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Luke nodded. "Three days. Okay." It nodded in return, and Luke felt something pet his hair again. His hand flew up, but the tendril fled before he could grab it. The creature merely cocked its head when Luke glared.

_Three days, Luke._

He huffed, turning back to his breakfast. His half-eaten egg had gone cold, but Luke couldn't afford to waste food, so he forced it down anyway. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find the creature hunched over him, inspecting his breakfast.

Luke eyed the side of its head, which was hovering about half an inch from his nose. "We are gonna need to have a talk about personal space soon." It plucked a piece of egg from his plate and leaned back, shaking its head.

Luke scoffed, " 'no'?!" The creature patted him on the back and turned away, holding the egg up to its head. When it turned back, the egg was gone. Huh. "So you _do_ have a mouth." It seemed to consider the morsel, tilting its head this way and that, purring. Then it shuddered.

Luke felt strangely put out. "Well, it was cold." The creature moved its inspection to his laptop, the screen gone to its saver. Luke gaped as the creature tickled the touch pad and deftly alt-tabbed to the desktop to open a notepad while his plate of cold egg remnants flew away to the kitchen via dark tendril.

"Hey, I wasn't-" Luke made a sound halfway between a hiccup and a gasp as the creature morphed into a shadow and flowed under him, reforming into its faceless self with him on its lap. Wrapping its arms around his middle, the creature nuzzled him while a wave of black spread over the keyboard. Words appeared _very_ quickly in the notepad, much faster than any human could type.

_What is your schedule for today, Luke?_

What just happened? He read the words on the screen. "Oh, umm, I was gonna go get groceries, uh, after I shower. I don't really have anything after that." Did he really just tell it his plans for the day? Luke blinked as the creature purred at him.

_Perfect. Would you like me to bathe you, Luke?_

The purring intensified as Luke sputtered, "I- I can wash myself, thank you very much." The creature cuddled him closer and petted his hair.

_That isn't what I asked. But I'll let you bathe in peace._

And without further ado, the creature vanished, leaving Luke a slowly deflating shadow beneath him to keep him from falling on his rear. Luke blinked. Had that really just happened? The creature had torn through his morning like a twister and left only an easel and a text document as proof. Shaking his head, Luke noticed the creature had left him a parting message.

_If you call for me, Luke, I shall hear._

Luke frowned, "call what?" The creature never actually told him its name… and it never slowed down enough for him to ask. A squeak prompted him to turn back to the whiteboard.

_Master._

Luke yelped, voice cracking, "I am _not_ calling you 'master'!"

Receiving no response, Luke made his way to the shower, blushing. Why did the creature want him to call it _that_? Surely Luke could come up with something less… humiliating. He thought. The creature wasn't exceptionally tall, but it had very narrow shoulders and could stretch its limbs… How about 'skinny'? Luke snickered. Somehow, he didn't think the creature would like that nickname. It would serve it right, though… Naming itself 'master'…

Then again, Luke considered as he stepped into the water, he hadn't resisted the creature's whims to any great degree yet… Maybe it was just confused. Luke would have to set the record straight next time he got to talk to the creature. One thing was for sure, though; Luke would _not_ be calling the creature 'master'.

Luke finished his shower and got dressed, doing a double take at the whiteboard on his way out.

_I'm sorry you feel that way, Luke._

He blinked a few times, but ultimately decided to ignore the message, and headed out the door.

Most of Luke's neighbors were fellow college students, and he was fairly sure they all preyed on the same super mart right across the street from the apartment complex. He knew from experience that about half of them had part-time jobs there. So he really shouldn't have been surprised when he ran into one of the bullies from last night while grabbing a shopping basket.

"What's new, pussy-cat?" Luke winced at the nickname, looking up from his task to find the tall, photogenic, dirty-blond male known as 'Dave' grinning down at him from behind a check out lane. Why did Dave have to be working _that_ lane _this_ day?

"Not much. Just getting food." Luke's retreat was halted by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, wait- at least tell me how it went!" Luke sighed inwardly and turned back to Dave. The clerk grinned at the shorter boy, "did you see any ghosts?"

The creature popped into Luke's mind. "Nope."

Dave wasn't deterred. "Well, maybe you caught something on camera. Remember to bring it on Monday so we can _all_ go over it together." Luke blanched, thinking about what _else_ had been recorded that night. Dave caught his expression and frowned, "you didn't puss out on us, did you?"

Eyes wide, Luke stuttered, "n-no, I-… I did it."

Dave's beautiful smile returned, and he let go of Luke's shoulder. "No problems, then! Have a nice weekend, Luke." He turned back to the counter just as a young couple with a baby unloaded their items.

Luke didn't stay to watch. Snatching up a plastic basket, he speed-walked over to the produce. Safely away from Dave for the moment, Luke sighed. He couldn't believe that he once had a crush on the guy. Shaking his head, Luke bent down to inspect the apple bin.

A familiar white hand edged into his peripheral vision, and Luke turned to find another normal place of his normal life playing host to the decidedly _not_ normal creature. It was invading his personal space again, standing _far_ too close as it inspected the bin next to him. The creature caught him watching it and cocked its head and purred, all black and white and _completely_ out of place in the colorful mundane backdrop of the store.

Luke blinked, "umm, hi."

A young lady further down the produce aisle looked up from comparing zucchini and focused on him, "hi?" The creature ignored the exchange, studying the bin of fruit instead.

Luke blinked again, "umm, sorry, I thought you were someone else." The lady frowned, but went back to her task.

The creature plucked up an apple and offered it to Luke. He accepted the fruit numbly, staring at its redness. The lady hadn't seen the creature. The creature that, for all appearances, was helping him shop for groceries. Three days. That's what it said. Or rather, wrote. Three days. The idea was finally sinking in for Luke that the creature had, by some whim or will, decided to insert itself into his life. For three days. At least.

Luke jumped as the creature put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm okay," he mouthed. The creature petted his hair and disappeared. Luke shook his head, deciding to just go with it. He deposited the apple in his basket and moved on, snatching up a bunch of bananas before continuing to the frozen foods section.

His basket was nearly filled by the time the creature found him again. Luke somehow managed to keep from yelping as he turned to find it standing right behind him, holding a strip of brown leather up to his neck.

"What the heck are you up to now?" Luke kept his voice at a whisper and looked away. They were alone in the aisle, but he'd still rather not risk someone walking in on him talking to thin air.

The creature responded by tilting Luke's chin up with a tendril and pressing the fabric to his neck. It cocked its head this way and that, and then switched the brown leather out for black, repeating the gesture. Luke frowned, it was almost as if… the creature… was…

Master. Mine. _Pet_.

His eyes widened and he stumbled back into the shelves, "you are _not_ putting a collar on me!" His protests were too late, however, and the creature nodded at the black approvingly, petting his hair once more before disappearing again. Luke whimpered. Three days. He suddenly wondered if he was going to _survive_ those three days.

Luke finished with his shopping and proceeded to check out, making sure to get a lane as far from Dave as possible. He frowned as he unloaded his items. He didn't remember picking up basil leafs. Or garlic salt. He hadn't even gone to the spice section! There was also, nestled amongst the TV dinners and ramen noodles, a wedge of cheese with a name he couldn't pronounce, and a small packet of portabella mushrooms. Luke blamed the creature.

The extra items didn't cost that much, so he decided to buy them rather than make a fuss about returning them. It was only after he crossed the street to go home that he connected the food buying to the leather incident. _Pet_. Well, at least it wasn't kibble. Luke gave himself a mental slap. No, he refused to think like that. Next time he saw the creature, no matter _what_ it was doing, Luke would _demand_ that it listen to him.

He opened the door to his apartment, half expecting to see a leash draped across his kitchen counter. What Luke got instead was darkness. He gawked at the wall of black for a moment before tendrils of shadow shot out and wrapped around him, tugging him into the tenebrae. He heard his door close and the lock engage as the plastic grocery bags were taken off his hands.

The veil lifted to show the creature standing in his kitchen, leaning on his counter. All his groceries were put away in a matter of seconds by the numerous tentacles sprouting from its back and reaching from his cabinets, and Luke was once again left reeling in the wake of the human shaped tornado he called the creature.

Luke shook his head, "okay, we _really_ need to talk about this." He heard a tap and glanced at the whiteboard.

_Hello Luke, have a nice outing?_

Luke gaped, "you should know! You were there!" A tendril petted his hair, and this time, Luke caught it. "Stop doing that!" Despite the death grip Luke had on it, the tendril wound up his arm and across his chest to tickle his chin. He blushed, "seriously! Enough!" The tendril turned his head to the whiteboard.

_I can't help myself, Luke; you're too adorable._

Luke reddened further, "excuse me?!"

_It's a compliment, Luke. What's your favorite food?_

The tendril withdrew suddenly, and he almost answered 'lobster' before he caught on to the creature's tactic. "Hey! Stop manipulating me!" The message didn't change. He turned back to the creature, glaring. It crossed its arms and inclined its head, drumming its fingers on its sleeve, and Luke felt unjustifiably guilty for not answering its question.

Unnerved, Luke nonetheless stuck to his resolution, "_why_ are you doing this?" The creature drummed its fingers for a few more seconds while Luke definitely stared it down. It seemed to sigh, relaxing its posture, and shook its head. The whiteboard updated.

_Why am I doing what, Luke?_

Luke paused, trying to put words to his thoughts. He gestured to the whiteboard and to the creature, "_this_. This whole thing- why are you feeding me? Why were you comparing _leather_ to my neck? Why do you want me to call you '_master_'?" Its shoulders slumped a bit when Luke finished.

_I don't want you to call me 'master', Luke; I want you to _want_ to call me 'Master'._

Luke frowned, "why would I want to do that?"

_Because it would please me._

Luke could only stare. The creature thought he wanted to please it? Where the heck did it get that idea from? He snapped out of his musings when the message changed again.

_Would you like some lunch, Luke?_

What? His stomach answered the question for him as the scent of food wafted into the room. The creature vanished again, and reappeared moments later with… furniture? Luke blinked as the creature unfolded a one person dining table and two chairs. It set the chairs on either side of the table, taking the far chair for itself. The whiteboard scooted next to the creature, and a tendril set a plate of steaming… cheese covered mushrooms on the table.

Luke stared at the plate. Had it been cooking this entire time? He looked at the creature. It nodded to the other chair, then focused on him. It was giving him that same stare from last night… as if it was trying to read his mind through his face. Maybe it was. Unnerved, Luke looked back down at the food. Well, it _smelled_ good. He sighed, giving in to the creature's whim and taking the indicated seat.

Luke gave up his attempt at a poker face after the first bite. The molten cheese hid a layer of soft meat he quickly identified as lobster, while the tender mushroom divulged the heady flare of garlic as he sunk in his teeth.

_How is it, Luke?_

Luke whimpered, unwilling to pause long enough to give a proper answer. The creature didn't seem to mind.

_I thought you'd like it._

He swallowed, "why?"

_You checked the price of lobster in the seafood section. You have exquisite tastes, Luke._

The creature had seen that? Well, it didn't seem to need to actually _look_ at something to see it… Luke blushed, wondering what _else_ the creature had seen without him noticing.

Luke frowned, "wait… where'd the lobster come from?"

_Maine._

"No, I mean, where'd you get it? I didn't buy one." He would have noticed if the creature had snuck something that expensive- and lively -into his basket, right?

_I snatched it through the shadows off the coast of Maine._

Luke blinked. "_After_ you saw me?"

_Yes._

He stared at the creature for a moment before simply deciding to finish his meal. It continued to watch intently as he scraped up the last bits of fallen cheese from the plate with his fork, seemingly fascinated with his movements.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" The creature leaned back, lifting its intense, eyeless gaze.

_Apologies, Luke. I'm not used to people minding my observation._

Luke smirked as his plate was taken away, recalling the lady with the zucchini, "no kidding… Thanks for the food, it was great." He let a tendril pet his hair for a moment before remembering what lunch had interrupted. "Oh my god…" Luke buried his face in his hands, "_why_?"

_Why what, Luke?_

"Why do you keep giving me whiplash?" The creature cocked its head. "Weren't we talking about something?"

_I had made my point, Luke, and lunch was ready._

He gaped, "what point?" The board didn't change. Luke sighed, letting his head drop back into his hands, "why do you exhaust me so much?" He felt a tendril rub his back, and glanced up.

_You don't need to understand, Luke. You just need to trust me._

"Trust you? I don't even _know_ you!" The tendril moved up to his neck, and Luke froze. The creature brought its hands up to the table and laced its fingers together.

_I won't hurt you, Luke, and I won't let harm come to you. I take care of my pets._

There was that word again. Wait… " 'Pets'? As in, plural?" The tendril started kneading the back of his neck.

_Don't worry, Luke. I only have one pet right now. _

"That's not… Ah…" Was he supposed to be complaining about something? Luke couldn't remember… He closed his eyes and let his head fall to the table, submitting to the massage. The tendril withdrew after a few blissful moments, and Luke felt a hand sink into his hair, fingers scritching at his scalp. He blinked his eyes open to see the creature looking down at him, chin resting in one hand while the other petted him. The board hadn't changed.

Luke yanked away from the creature's ministrations, flushing beet red. "You-" The creature pulled its hand back, lacing its fingers together again. Luke glowered at the table. "Stop messing with me!" A squeak brought his attention back to the board.

_One more thing, Luke, then I'll leave you for today._

"Really?" Luke eyed the creature. "What thing?"

The creature reached under the table and pulled out a spool of… measuring tape? The kind used for fitting clothes. Luke frowned, and the creature got up, unraveling the bracketed end of the ribbon.

_Hold still, Luke._

The creature walked around the table to stand behind him, and he made the connection.

Luke sputtered as he scrambled out of his seat, backing away from the encroaching creature, "hey! No- I'm not- don't you dare!" It continued to approach, the little numbered ribbon more menacing than a garrote wire. Luke tried to keep the table between himself and the creature, but a few tentacles shot out from the shadows and folded up his cover, leaving him exposed.

An old cartoon about a skunk and a cat flashed to mind as Luke backed into a wall and franticly sidestepped away from the leisurely advancing creature. He glanced to the front door to find it blocked by shadowy tendrils. He looked to the hallway on his right. His apartment was on the ground floor, so if he could just make it to his bedroom…

Wait… Luke stopped, and the creature paused, cocking its head. "Why are you chasing me?" It held up the measuring tape. "No, I mean, why aren't you forcing me to be still?" He glanced at the tendrils baring the door. "I know you can- you have before." He looked back to the creature. "Why are you letting me run?" It studied him for a minute before slumping. A tendril dragged the whiteboard around to face him.

_I'm playing with you, Luke. Or, rather, I'm trying to._

Luke stared. " 'Playing'?" The creature crossed its arms.

_I told you, Luke; I take care of my pets. That includes playing with-_

It inclined its head to him, pausing before writing the next line.

_-and feeding them._

Luke mulled that over. "You mean, if I play your game… you'll make me dinner?" If lunch was any indicator of the creature's cooking skills… He choked back a whimper.

The creature nodded, uncrossing its arms and brandishing the measuring tape at him again.

_I could wait for you to fall asleep, Luke. But I'd much rather play with you._

Luke blinked. The creature seemed to be waiting for his response. Just like last night… It said he'd seemed 'open to such a relationship' with it- is _this_ what it meant? He considered the creature. It was still waiting patiently for him to decide. Three days… He could do that.

Luke gave the tiniest nod, and the game was on.

The creature purred, taking a step forward. Luke continued to edge away along the wall until he felt the hallway behind him. The creature paused, giving him that same intense stare from before. Luke saw its muscles tense, and was abruptly reminded of a cat preparing to pounce.

He feigned to the left, and the creature took the bait, lunging to intercept while Luke slipped around the corner. Dashing down the hall, Luke slammed his bedroom door shut and locked it. He heard the doorknob rattle and yanked his window open.

Instead of bolting outdoors, Luke rushed to his closet and slipped inside, closing it silently behind him. He crawled under the hanging clothes, careful not to disturb them, and shimmied his way up the corner, bracing himself against the narrow walls to hide behind a puffy winter coat.

Ear pressed to the thin wall, Luke heard the lock click open and the hinges on the door squeak. Soft footfalls on the carpeting drew closer then faded, the plastic clinkling of his blinds giving way to a bird chirping before the plush steps retreated further away. A rustle of heavy fabric across the room foreshadowed a growing purr, and Luke held his breath as it gradually got louder then stopped.

The closet doors whooshed open, sudden draft jostling all the clothing on the rack and nearly succeeding in making Luke yelp. He was able to keep both his silence and cover, though, and was rewarded with a very strange sound.

"Krrchrrt?" It sounded a bit like a dog whining mixed with a car engine turning over. Luke had to choke back a laugh as he realized the creature was confused. The trilling and clicking escalated in pitch as they lowered in elevation, and Luke pictured the creature checking under the hanging clothing for his feet.

Luke held his breath as the bizarre whirring raised back up to its normal height then died down. There was a significant pause before he both heard and felt the clothing slide around on the rack. The puffy coat pressed against him as he imagined the creature pawing through his apparel. Then, to his growing horror, the pressure lessened as the scraping got closer. Finally, the coat was pulled back, exposing Luke to the creature's stare.

Luke gave a terse grin. "Heh… hi, there." It looked down at the ground, then back up to him. "Umm, hang on-" Luke shifted, preparing to drop his legs to the floor. Before he could, though, the creature leaned forward and scooped him up, cradling him in its arms.

Blushing, Luke looked up at the creature. "I guess this means you win?" It gave him that same fascinated stare, purring softly as it backed out of the closet and turned to his bed. Luke jumped when his window slid shut, and glanced over to it in time to see a tendril draw the blinds, dimming the room. The hallway and closet doors followed, closing off the space as the creature flowed into shadow around him.

When the veil of blackness lifted, Luke found himself face down on his bed, chest and neck elevated with a pillow while the creature settled on top of him, caging him with its limbs. Luke gave a halfhearted struggle, not really caring to get free anymore with the purring creature melting into his back. It seemed to enjoy his squirming, though, and purred even harder, vibration thrumming through its body and into his.

Luke gave himself over to the blissful sensation, offering no resistance as the measuring tape wrapped around his neck and tightened. A tendril moved his head this way and that, making his neck flex under the ribbon. The tape withdrew and he sighed, laying his head back down to relax into the bizarre massage.

The ribbon snaked down to his wrist, breaking Luke from his trance. "Hey-! Wait- no… we didn't- stop! I don't-" The purring died down and the creature's blank face edged into his vision. "Please?" It stared at him for a moment before nodding, and the measuring tape vanished. Luke let his head flop down again, tension fading. "Thank you." He closed his eyes and waited for the purring to start up again. It didn't.

Luke whined as the creature rolled them over and sat up, dragging him to lay across its lap so it could look him in the eye. It grabbed his wrist and held it before him, cocking its head and huffing.

Luke blushed, looking away. "It's a long story." The creature sat him up and hugged him to its chest, gently nuzzling him while purring. Luke flashed back to the previous night when the creature had done something similar after rescuing him from the bully. It was… comforting him.

"It's not that bad," he assured the creature, "just embarrassing, is all…" It pulled back and considered him, almost seeming to frown as it angled its head down.

Luke sighed, "oh alright. In short, I umm, ended up cuffed to a lamp post in a very public place." His ears burned as he rushed through the tale. "They couldn't find the key and a fireman had to cut me loose." He shook his head. "So, yeah… I'd rather not… umm… if that's okay." He glanced back to the creature and relaxed as it nodded.

"Oh, umm…" The creature cocked its head and Luke gave it the most sheepish grin he was capable of, "do I still get dinner?" Hanging its head, the creature shook, purring in huffs. It took Luke a moment to realize it was laughing. It lifted its head up and nodded again, petting his hair.

The gesture made Luke tense. Pet. For three days…

The creature cocked its head and purred at him. Was he really okay with that?

He sighed, leaning into the creature. Why not? For all its strangeness, the creature _did_ seem to care for him.

It hugged him close and thrummed deeply again. But… pet? _Pet_?

Luke let his eyes slip shut as he melted into its embrace. Whatever. It was only three days. But…

"I'm still not calling you 'master'…"

* * *

**End Chapter Two.**


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